Schwarzenegger signs toxic toy bill as deadline hits

SACRAMENTO - Toys and baby products that contain more than a trace amount of a chemical that scientists have linked to developmental problems would be banned in California under legislation Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Sunday.

The phthalate chemical ban was among 80 bills the governor signed Sunday to meet a midnight deadline, giving his approval for new laws that include opening housing bond funds to developer-backed business districts and allowing tax dollars to be spent on clean needle programs for HIV patients.

He vetoed 72 bills, including measures that would have allowed condoms in prisons, made it easier for unions to organize farm workers and required restaurant chains to list nutritional information on their menus.

Schwarzenegger's endorsement of the phthalate ban makes California the first state to impose severe limits on a chemical that is widely used in plastics products such as baby bottles, soft baby books, teething rings, plastic bath ducks and other toys, said Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, the bill's author.

“I think parents will be comforted that when they buy one of these chewy products it will be safe,” Ma told The Associated Press Sunday.

Phthalates have been banned by the European Union and at least 14 other countries after studies found that the chemical interferes with hormones and might lead to early puberty, reproduction defects and other health problems. But, the toy industry and other opponents have said more scientific research is needed.

Although Schwarzenegger signed the phthalate ban, he said in a signing statement that he did not believe a “product by product” ban was the most effective way to craft state chemical policy.

Beginning in 2009, any product made for young children that contains more than one tenth of one percent of phthalates cannot be made, sold or distributed in California.

Other bills signed by the governor include:

SMOG FEE - Californians will pay higher smog and vehichle and boat registration fees next year to pay for state research of alternative fuels and clean-air initiatives. The bill by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, will raise vehicle registration fees from $31 to $34. Most boat registration fees will double to $20. Smog fees will go up to by $8 to $20.

BOND FUNDS - Special business districts spearheading redevelopment projects could team up with local governments and compete for an $850 million pot of money authorized by Proposition 1C for so-called infill projects. The bill, by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, would benefit Anschutz Entertainment Group, the company that is building a $5.6 million square-foot retail and entertainment complex in Nunez's downtown Los Angeles district.

CLEAN NEEDLES - Legislation that would allow state and local government to use money to buy clean needles for HIV patients.

Bills vetoed by the governor include:

FARM WORKERS - Unions would be able to organize farm workers by collecting signed membership cards instead of holding an election with secret ballots. Supporters said the change would deter intimidation by growers and could help boost union ranks. Farmers predicted it would have the opposite effect and allow coercion by union organizers. The United Farm Workers union has stopped trying to organize laborers while it waits to see if the bill becomes law, union president Arturo Rodriguez said.

CALORIE COUNTS - A bill that would have required restaurant chains to list the calories, fats, carbohydrates and salt in their standard menu items. In his veto message, Schwarzenegger described the bill as impractical, saying many restaurants already are providing nutritional information to patrons in fliers, online and in other ways.

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